The present invention is concerned with a machine for packing groups of bottles into open cases. It is designed to place a selected group of bottles within a shipping case or container for packing and shipping purposes.
Lightweight plastic disposable bottles for beverages or other fluids are currently becoming popular in the bottling industry. Such bottles are easily damaged in handling. The bottles are not easily packed horizontally into cases. It is more desirable to move the bottles vertically. Controlling movement of the bottles is difficult because of their lightweight nature. The bottles do not fall freely and predictably. It is therefore necessary to provide a case packing machine that will automatically load groups of such bottles vertically into cases while maintaining full control over bottle movement. Additionally, it is desirable to have the capability to pack cases with bottles in inverted positions to maintain the uncovered empty bottles in a clean condition.
A case packing machine that packs such bottles vertically into cases has been developed and produced by the applicant. It is described in pending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 955,350, filed Oct. 27, 1978 and titled "Case Packing Machine".
In the prior case packing machine, successive groups of bottles are delivered to an escapement mechanism at a first elevational station. Separate pneumatically actuated ram and escapement release mechanisms are sequenced to release and force the grouped bottles downwardly to a second station. Bottles are received at the second station within one of two laterally slidable and rotatable chutes. The chutes are mounted to a carriage that is powered to shift laterally after receiving a charge of bottles, moving the bottles in one chute to positions directly below a discharge ram mechanism. This movement also brings a second chute into alignment below the escapement and ram mechanisms for the purpose of receiving a second set of bottles. While this second set of bottles is being received, the discharge ram is lowered, pushing a group of bottles into a case below. The shuttle carriage is then shifted back, moving a second group of bottles to a second laterally spaced position and returning the first carriage into alignment below the escapement and bottle ram. A second discharge ram assembly is provided adjacent this position to lower and push the bottles from the second carriage downwardly into a case.
It is an object of the present improvement to provide a bottle packing machine of simplified construction and operation that will operate at an equal or greater rate of speed than known prior bottle packing machines of the same nature.
This is done by a machine with a single bottle holder below the escapement mechanism that will receive successive groups of bottles, hold them in a defined cluster, and discharge the bottles in response to downward forces exerted by a subsequent group of bottles released from the escapement above. Simplicity is achieved by operating the escapement means directly in response to operation of the bottle ram mechanism. Loading of bottles onto the escapement mechanism is also accomplished in response to motion of the ram mechanism.